


To Hear His Voice

by theonewhohums



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Crushes, Existential Crisis, Humor, M/M, pre-promised day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-05 20:15:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10316129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theonewhohums/pseuds/theonewhohums
Summary: On their fugitive travels across the country, Ed and Ling finally get some uninterrupted time together.





	

"The Amestrian sky looks almost nothing like the sky in Xing," Ed heard from beside him.

Mr. Gorilla and Mr. Lion were snoring loudly some twenty feet from his sleeping bag, and Ed had spent a good part of the night rolling on his stomach, side, and back in angry fits trying to find the perfect position that would let him fall asleep. After sleeping in rooms with the respectfully quiet Al for the past few years, he had forgotten what it was like to block out loud sleepers. The only person (if you could even call him that) who slept in silence in their little rag-tag group was Greed. Throughout their fugitive travels, Greed never bought a sleeping bag or tent. He would simply find himself a tree or stump to lean against, and within moments he was unconscious, something which Ed often envied him for, especially on nights like this when the chimeras were particularly vocal.

Ed looked up suddenly at the sound of the familiar voice, turning his head slowly to see the hard plains of Greed's face soften as they turned towards the sky in contemplative thought. His eyes were almost completely shut, and one of his hands had already made its way to his growling stomach.

"Ling?" Ed couldn't hold back the happiness in his voice. After being stuck with the zoo animal brothers and a cranky homunculus for the past week, hearing Ling's voice was like being woken up from a bad dream.

Ling smiled. "Hi, Edward."

Ed grabbed a can of food from his pack and pushed back his sleeping bag, crawling over to Ling as quietly as he could.

"What happened to Greed?" he whispered, as if speaking too loudly would prompt the shunned homunculus to take over Ling's body once more.

Ling snickered. "He's sick of listening to those two snore," he thumbed towards the chimeras. "He retreated to get some sleep. I guess he assumed there wasn't much damage I could do in the middle of the night this far away from a city or town." He looked down at the can of beans in Ed's automail hand. "Are these for me?"

Ed opened his mouth to respond, but Ling was already plucking the can from his hand and peeling back the tin lid, dumping the contents into his mouth without even bothering to retrieve a spoon.

"Ungrateful bastard," Ed couldn't help but mutter, as he watched in horrified awe as he watched his friend dump the cold beans into his mouth and chew loudly.

In less than two minutes flat, the beans were gone and Ling was patting his mouth with the back of his sleeve like it was a silk handkerchief.

"I _am_ grateful, Edward," he said with a smile so sincere that Ed had to look away lest the prince see his face heat up. Ling's face puckered. "I swear, Greed eats as little as possible purely to upset me. We _share_ this body, is it really so hard to make sure it's fed properly?"

Ed snorted and leaned back on his hands. "I'm pretty sure everything he does is just to piss someone off, actually."

The grass was surprisingly soft between his fingers, something Ed notice idly as he observed Ling from the corner of his eye. He let the fingers of his left hand trail through the grass lazily and pick up strands, while Ling had returned his gaze to the sky. It was interesting to notice the subtle differences between Greed and Ling, despite the fact that they shared the same body. While Greed's face seemed to be all hard plains and cynical smiles, Ling's countenance was much softer and more sincere. The smug grins that he threw Ed's way never seemed to change, but on nights like this when Ed could observe him without being reprimanded, Ed could see a quiet wisdom in Ling's eyes as well, someone who seemed too old for their few years. He wondered what things Ling might have seen to age him in such a way. He knew so little about him.

"You're staring at me," Ling said, though he didn't sound accusatory.

Ed averted his eyes and looked up at the sky. "What did you mean when you said the sky in Xing looked different?" He could feel Ling smirk at his attempt to redirect the conversation, but didn't let his gaze at the hazy clouds above them waver.

"Xing is such a beautiful place to be at night. All the lanterns are dimmed and all the bustle in the city dies down fairly quickly once dusk turns to night. Then all that's left is the stars." Ling's voice was wistful. "Here in Amestris the sky is blotted out by clouds, and when you get too close to the cities the gas lamps drown out the darkness and hide the stars. It's a shame."

Ed gave up leaning back on his hands and finally rested his back in the grass, placing his left hand slightly under the hem of his shirt without thinking about it. His fingers rested on his abdomen, and he thought of how much he missed the hills of Resembool, where he and Al and Winry would camp out on summer nights. The stars never seemed dull to him then.

"Do you miss it?"

Ling nodded. "Yes. But I have to believe that in the end all this is worth it. Homesickness is a small price to pay to keep my clan safe."

Ed wanted to scoff. _Homesickness is a small price to pay_. Ling had risked _everything_ for his people. The ouraboros tattoo on his hand was proof enough of that. Ling, a prince of Xing, had allowed a monster to take control of his body to gain the secret to immortality that would ensure the survival of his clan. Ed spent hours every day trying to think of a way to reverse, to unbind the two and free Ling of such a curse, but he knew that even if he did think of a solution, Ling would not agree to it. He would drag Greed back kicking and screaming to his home country if it meant the survival of his clan. Ed admired his obstinance, but couldn't help but worry what a life tied to Greed might mean for Ling.

"You know, even your silence seems extremely loud," Ling said. He was staring at Edward with a peculiar look on his face. Ed hadn't even noticed Ling had turned to face him.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You look so focused on something. It's something you and your brother have in common, though I tend to notice it more from you. But even when you're thinking you look like your prepared to shout."

Ed internally kicked himself for being caught for such a thing when he was thinking about _Ling_ , and rolled over to face away from too-observant prince. "Shut up."

"It's not something to be embarrassed about," Ling said with a light laugh that made Ed want to punch him in the mouth even more. "I happen to like your passion."

Ed felt his stomach do a nervous flip. "Well, passion is my middle name," he muttered lamely, crossing his arms.

"I highly doubt that, but it does suit you." Ling laid down in the grass beside Edward, and over his shoulder Ed could see that he had folded his arms behind his head to get comfortable. Greed always had them crossed defensively over his chest, even in sleep.

Just then, Mr. Gorilla's snores built up to a crescendo, sounding as if the very earth was splitting open and rocks were pouring into the crevice. Ed and Ling both stiffened as he roared loudly for a moment longer, only to sputter, cough, and roll onto his side with a sleepy mutter.

Ling and Ed snorted quietly, then laughed out loud at the ridiculous noise that had come from the chimera, rolling closer to one another and guffawing until they were out of breath. The tension of the night seemed to roll away from Ed in that moment, and once again he felt like a sixteen-year-old boy camping under the stars.

Ed blew out a small puff of air, ruffling his bangs. "Man, I'm gonna miss this."

"What, their awful snoring?"

Ed wasn't really sure what he meant, if he was being honest. As much as he hated this cross-country trip from hell–sleeping outside, avoiding the public eye, never having enough food, dealing with snoring chimeras–he knew that it wasn't permanent. Plans were being set in motion, and soon everything would change. He didn't know if it would be for the better or not.

Feeling like he was teetering on the edge of something enormous, Ed reached out his left hand in the darkness and gripped Ling's, feeling the warmth of it, and squeezed.

"No. This."

Ling glanced at him, eyes widened in surprise, but Ed noted with a funny feeling in his stomach that the prince didn't pull his hand away. The corner of his lips tilted up in a smile, and Ling's fingers squeezed his gently.

"I think I will too," Ling said warmly, looking back up to the sky. Ed turned too, ignoring the heat in his face and the clamminess in his hand, as he gazed up at the hazy sky. The view might not have been gorgeous, and the rumbling coming from behind them surely wasn't ideal, but for tonight, lying beside Ling in the soft grass with their hands intertwined between them, Ed could at least pretend.

**Author's Note:**

> (Originally published 8/10/15)


End file.
